“Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.”

~ Psalm 62:8 

Recently I read of a profound interchange documented in a book by the renowned ethicist John Kavanaugh.  He tells of when he went to Calcutta to work at “the house of the dying” for three months. This experience was part of his heartfelt search for personal direction.  His first morning there, he met Mother Teresa.  She asked him, “And what can I do for you?”  

Kavanaugh asked her to pray for him. “What do you want me to pray for?” she asked him.  He responded by explaining that he had come thousands of miles from the U.S. to find direction: “Pray that I have clarity.” 

She firmly responded to his request: “No, I will not do that.”  When asked why, she said, “Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and must let go of.” Kavanaugh commented to her that she always seemed to have the clarity he longed for.  She laughed and said, “I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust.  So I will pray that you trust God.” 

There is something in all of us that always wants clarity.  It is part of our sinful ego, and perhaps a common expression of our insecurities.  As illustrated in this exchange, clarity can become an idol that replaces real trust in God.  In many ways, we would rather understand the details of the road ahead than become more intimate with the Builder of the road.  Clarity can actually become spiritually counterproductive, as it shortchanges trust, a life of faith, and moment-by-moment dependence on God. 

In the great “faith chapter,” Hebrews 11, we are reminded that trust is strongest when life’s circumstances are unclear.  Noah built an ark for 120 years, waiting for an unprecedented rainfall.  Sarah was told to trust God for a child in her old age, with no clarity as to how such a thing could happen.  Abraham went out, not knowing where he was going, but planning to sacrifice his own son with no clarity as to why or what might occur.  The stories are extensive.  The truth is unmistakable.  Faith flourishes when we are trusting God through the unclear path of life. 

So often we want to chart the course, but the Bible tells us to walk in the Spirit. We impose a strategic plan.  Jesus says, “Follow me.”  We want all the answers.  The Lord tells us to trust Him no matter what.  

Recently, I discovered a song by a young Christian musician named Jadon Lavic. The lyrics are precisely in tune with this biblical insight:

I look around, and what can I do?

This place is unfamiliar and new.

So I try to look beyond what’s right in front of me.

Is hope to be found?

How can this be true?

Comfort came and left in such a hurry,

So that once on the other side of this tragedy

You wake up to find

That you’re right where you’re supposed to be.

Trapped in uncertainty,

Each day’s a mystery.

You wake up to find

That you’re right where you’re supposed to be;

The past is unveiled and you see

You’re right where you’re meant to be. 

Friend, as you go through uncertain days, consider the truth we’ve been given.  Faith, not certainty, is the single most important ingredient to a life pleasing to God (Hebrews 11:6). 

Looking behind, we are familiar with His faithfulness and goodness, even when we did not perceive it at the time.  He has not changed.  You can trust Him now.  When we can’t trace His hand, we can trust His heart.  In the unpredictable seasons of life may our hearts long, not for clarity, but for faith.

Copyright © 2008 Daniel Henderson. All rights reserved.